12 Days Birding & Bird Photography Tours In Sabah, Borneo

Review of Swarovski Modular Spotting Scopes

94 species of birds in 1 day at Tabin Wildlife Reserve

Friday, June 26, 2009

The 1st Nikon Photography Workshop in Sandakan held at Rainforest Discovery Centre was a big success with more than expected last minute participants registered on the first day even though all seats was booked a week before the event.

At the same time, Nikon Malaysia decided to unvield the new Nikon Fieldscope EDG 85 in Malaysia with a selling price around RM 13k for body and the eyepiece. It was officiated by the Honourable Mr. Au Kam Wah, State Assembly for Elopura Parliment during the workshop.

From a quick test done by me and few others friends, it is cleared that the EDG 85 is brighter, sharper and more contrast than the ED82 using the same 38x eyepiece on both scopes. The test lasted until sunset and colour fringing is invisible for the EDG 85 while looking at bird against the grey sky.

Now I need the EDG 85 and compare it with my friends's Kowa 883 and 884 to see who is the king of spotting scopes !

Some of the pictures taken during the workshop and courtesy of my best friend, John Prudente and Tee from Nikon Malaysia.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

As I walked back from the Kingfisher spot yesterday heading to my car, I couldn't believe I saw clean perched and eye level of this biggest butterfly in the world ! Hahaha after many years seeing this beauty in flight resembled like black colour bird, now I got the shot using my scope :p (Almost impossible to digiscoped when it was flying around)

And one of the smallest squirrel in the world is this resident species in Borneo, Plain Pygmy Squirrel measuring from head to taill, 13 inch. Feeds on algae that grow on a tree trunk and one of the fastest squirrel i have seen moved and jumped from tree to tree.

As usual, birding a bit slow nowadays with less activity in the forest. Only 2 species of birds was digiscoped recently.

Large Woodshrike

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot

I will be off to Sandakan this Friday attending workshop and giving talk about birding and digiscoping in Sabah during the Nikon Workshop at Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Spent the Harvest Festival with Andrew and Gwenda at Lok Kawi hoping for the Black-backed Kingfisher. Despite arriving in the afternoon, action only begun after 3pm hahaha :p

This is the shots of Green Broadbill and considered as uncommon species in Borneo. The female yesterday was more cooperative than the male and while digiscoping the female, I did not realized the male was only less than a metre below ! So I got the female and Andrew had the male :)